


Once More

by Aurumsky



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Memory Loss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 22:08:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28999533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurumsky/pseuds/Aurumsky
Summary: You don't know where you are, and you don't know how you got there.
Kudos: 4





	Once More

You don't know where you are.

The world is grey and the lights are orange and blue. It's eerily peaceful, ash floating as makeshift snow, and if would be beautiful if it weren't so... horror movie esque.

* * *

You're in a town named Hawkins. Or so a frayed sign has told you.

It's a small town left on pause, grey and orange and blue, without residents.

Human, at least.

* * *

There is a presence.

Somewhere. Always behind you, unless you turn to see it when you feel it. In the distance, you can't see but a shadow of an eldrich monster, and it frightens you even more than the monsters who roam the land around you.

The beasts hunt the smell of blood and they have a way of knowing where you are even when you're not bleeding. Most of them are the size of large dogs and run on four legs.

They're hard to outrun but easier to overpower. The ones that constantly plague your mind are the ones that are taller than adult men and that walk on two feet.

Thankfully you don't meet those ones very often.

* * *

There's a trick to staying alive. You have to be quiet and you have to be smart.

That's how you stay alive. It's not a long list, admittedly, but it's what's kept you alive for... however long you've been here. You can't tell, with how time doesn't move.

You've found a few weapons. A knife, a shotgun. A small comfort here, but one nonetheless. Injuring a beast is a surefire way to summon all the others in the viscinity, but you've become quick during your time in this cursed world. You can usually outrun them.

Sometimes barely.

You have a multitude of scars on your body, most a result of tripping or the claws of the beasts. But there are a series of pinhead scars on your shoulder and back, the first and hopefully last time one of the beasts have had their teeth on you.

* * *

You don't remember how you came to be here. To be truthful, you don't remember much of anything beyond waking up in this strange world. You have a name, Y/N L/N, and you're fairly certain you've never been in Hawkins once in your entire life.

There isn't really much time to ponder upon it, so you don't.

* * *

You stare at the boy.

He'd appeared in your hiedout in the probably ten-minute window you'd been gone. He's curled up in the corner, staring at you with eyes as big as your's probably are.

You lick your lips. You haven't spoken in a while.

"Who are you?"

"... Will Byers."

* * *

You're not entirely sure how you manage to keep both Will and yourself alive while attempting to form contact with Will's mother, but when they eventually come for him, they pull you out as well.

When you wake up in the hospital at first you think you've died. The bed beneath you is soft, and you're incredibly warm and comfortable.

It's strange, so the first thing you assume is that you're in heaven. Until you feel the hand resting around the bend of your elbow and open your eyes. The hand belongs to Will.

He's on a hospital bed that's pushed closer to your bed than standard hospital beds should be. He's asleep.

The two people beside Will's bed aren't.

You vaguely remember the woman. Joyce. Will's mother. The guy next to her looks too young to be Will's dad so you assume it's his brother. Whtever Will said his name was.

Almost involuntarily, your body shifts and their eyes are drawn to you. Their gazes feel heavy, and you freeze like a deer in headlights. The woman's smile is incredibly gentle. Motherly.

She rises from her seat next to Will's bed and you do your best to keep your eyes on both the boys and her, as she rounds the beds. It's hard. Your eyes feel like they're going to fall out of your skull, so you focus your attention on the woman.

"Hey," she says gently, "I'm Joyce and that's Jonathan."

She very, very slowly rests a hand on your wrist, and the takes a seat at the edge of the bed. If your body had any energy, you'd move away from her, or at least sit up.

"Thank you for taking care of my Will."

* * *

Altough you're tired, you don't fall asleep again. Instead you lay on the bed, slowly regaining strength and awareness in your body. Whatever medication you had been on has worn off a while ago, and everything is starting to hurt.

You know that if you'd say something to Joyce she'd call a nurse and they'd almost certainly give you more meds. But you don't want them.

You keep your eyes on Will. He's still asleep, having only woken up once to drink water and then fall back asleep. You also do your best to ignore the shadows that twist in the edge of your field of vision.

You'd tried to see them at first but there had been nothing, and you're too afraid to ask Joyce to check for you.

Will's friends burst inside the second his eyes open again, and only for the fact that you can't make your body move, you aren't immediately up to fight them. Your panic, however, does not last long as you recognise the intruders as children, and ones who are not particularly interested in you.

Altough Joyce sushes them, you don't mind the noise now that your heart has calmed down. The kids are noisy but noise is good. Hasn't been much of that, around you.

* * *

"We'd be happy..."

"You don't... name."

"What if... aren't..."

Something makes a lound noise and you jolt awake, springing into a sitting position on pure adrenaline if nothing more. Your hand goes to grab the trusty shotgun from your side, but it isn't there.

"You startled them!" Joyce accuses, altough not angrily, the man who stands near her.

Will and Jonathan are looking elsewhere. The other children are gone, but there is a girl standing next to the door and looking embarrassed.

You stop looking for a weapon. You look at the man and then at Will. You'd never told him your name. It hadn't felt important and also he hadn't asked. You assume that's what they're talking about. "My name is Y/N."

Joyce blinks. Then she smiles and casts a smug glance at the man. He's dressed in a police uniform.

"Got a surname?"

"L/N."

He leaves. The girl stays. Jonathan and Will relax. Joyce walks over to them and becons the girl to come over. She does. She's pretty, despite her face being dirty. You want to go back to sleep.

"This is Nancy," Joyce introduces her, softly.

Nancy inclines her head to you and avoids your eyes. She's sad about something, and very tired. You almost ask her to join you in bed.

"Hi." You say instead.

"Hey," Nancy says then, even though she has already greeted you. She still doesn't meet your eyes. You wonder why she's here.

Jonathan's avoiding looking at her, and whenever he does, his cheeks gain a little color. It's funny, if not a little weird. You yawn, but before anything can be said or done, the police officer comes back. He looks grim and you want nothing more than for him to leave so you can go back to sleep.

"Sure you gave me the right name?" His tone is accusational indeed. He doesn't seem all too friendly. You frown.

"Hopper!" Joyce scolds him. The man shrugs and levels a steady gaze at you. Everyone else is looking, as well, except Joyce who is glaring daggers at Hopper.

"Yes?" You answer, slightly unsure. It's been... a while since you last introduced yourself to anyone, but you're also at least ninety percent sure the name you gave Hopper is yours. "

Well there's no one that name in Hawkins," Hoppes says, "you have your parent's number so we can call them in?"

"Uhh... no?"

"You don't remember your home number?"

"I don't remember _a home_." You snap, infuriated by his condescending voice. It isn't until everyone's gone real quiet you realize what you've said. Oops.

* * *

You end up at the Byers' couch. Hopper would have taken you, but both Joyce and Will had glared at him and so you'd went with them instead.

Joyce apologises about the sofa, but you don't mind at all. It's better than what you remember. Besides, it's closer to the door and therefore the best place for protecting the Byers.

You're not allowed a shotgun. It's unfortunate, but you compromise because the kitchen is pretty close at there are knives. And also there's a chair next to the door and a few knick-knacks you could also use as weapons.

It's quite fine for a few nights.

**Author's Note:**

> Finished Stranger Things and got an idea. Title is in the works, because I don't have a name for this story.


End file.
